


un rayo de esperanza ✨

by 8glassesofmilkin3minutes



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Graffiti, Mid-Canon, Social Media Posts, side character pov, street art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8glassesofmilkin3minutes/pseuds/8glassesofmilkin3minutes
Summary: A budding street artist reads the Waterloo Letters, and it sparks something inside him.
Comments: 26
Kudos: 108





	un rayo de esperanza ✨

**Author's Note:**

> big shoutout to @bisexualhozier on tumblr, because according to a note i wrote on my phone a few days ago, i was inspired to write this by [your post](https://bisexualhozier.tumblr.com/post/190500481886/the-mural-the-fucking-mural-a-royal-and-a) 💖💜💙

**September 26th, 2020**

**7:01 AM**

Miguel gets ready for his 8AM. His media history professor makes an offhand comment about the prince of England. Miguel is confused but doesn’t dwell on it. The comment is met with a few snickers and downward glances.

**12:34 PM**

Miguel is changing a shelf display when the television above the medicine counter catches his attention. Prince Henry is… gay? And he was outed? And he’s having an affair with Ellen Claremont’s son? Is Claremont’s son gay as well? It’s all he can think about for the rest of his shift. His coworkers say goodbye to him, and he barely waves back.

**8:59 PM**

Miguel is sitting in bed and has just finished reading the emails for the 3rd—no, 4th time? It almost felt wrong, but he couldn’t look away. He wasn’t expecting what he’d read. He was expecting times, dates, locations. Dirty talk. But the two boys just seemed so vulnerable and so honest and so very, very in love.

And of course Miguel couldn’t help but notice, Alex Claremont-Diaz isn’t gay. 

He’s bisexual.

**September 27th, 2020**

**12:05 AM**

He drops his bag by his feet. Slides on his respirator. The cans clang against the fire escape. He couldn’t sleep. _Shake._ This urge was taking over his mind. _Twist._ The idea wasn’t very fleshed out. _Spray._ But the second it came to him he was ready to bring it to life. _Drag._ He’d never paid much mind to American politics. Barely gave a second thought to that of the UK. _Shake._ But of course in 2016, he, like everyone, was talking about the US President’s half-Mexican kids. The _woman_ president’s half-Mexican kids. And after Obama? _Twist._ The US was on a streak. _Spray._ But before the media claims the narrative _Drag._ Miguel is going to make sure people remember _Twist._ that this boy _Spray._ American heartthrob, rising political star, Alex Claremont-Diaz, is Mexican _Drag._ bi _Twist._ and in love with a prince. _Release._

_That’s it._

He steps back, climbs down.

_Love._

_That’s what it is._

He admires his work.

**4:30 AM**

Miguel creeps in through the doorway. His stomach is begging for something to eat. He grabs a pack of Chiky from the pantry and cringes as he tears the wrapper open. He hears a shout, his mother’s voice. 

“¡Mimi! _¿Sabes que hora es?_ ”

His mouth freezes mid-bite.

**1:42 PM**

All day, Miguel can’t contain his excitement. It’s mixed with a confusing deep anger over the email leak, sadness for Henry, but so much warmth over the words he and Alex shared. He shoots a DM to Nisha. A picture.

 **gandi.aurat**  
Yours!?!?

 **Miguel**  
Yes!

 **gandi.aurat**  
Mimi it is. Beautiful!!!

 **Miguel**  
Kill me. Thank you  
😭😭

 **gandi.aurat**  
Your growth is showing!

 **Miguel**  
Omg

 **gandi.aurat**  
Anyway, I’m going out tonight. Also doing something about this.

 **Miguel**  
Tonight?? Are you sure?

 **gandi.aurat**  
I have a place. I already started.  
Did you notice that they’re both Star Wars nerds?

 **Miguel**  
Oh my god like you  
Also, YOU ALREADY STARTED?

 **gandi.aurat**  
I’ve always wanted to make a statement with my art, Mi. Doesn’t now seem as good a time as any?

 **Miguel**  
GREAT MINDS🧠🔁🧠

 **gandi.aurat**  
GREAT MINDS🧠🔁🧠  
And yes! They were teasing each other about who’s the Han and Leia bw them

 **Miguel**  
Yes, I read it, they’re so cute!  
Do you think they’re all real?

 **gandi.aurat**  
?

 **Miguel**  
The emails

 **gandi.aurat**  
I mean yes  
I don’t think someone would’ve gone through the effort to make them  
And they just seem so genuine

 **Miguel**  
Tru...  
So, star wars?

 **gandi.aurat**  
Yess I’m gonna mess around with that 😈

 **Miguel**  
Can’t wait 😈😈😈

**1:42 PM**

He receives a video snap from Nisha, flash on. The sun is setting. She’s holding a can up to a brick wall, her pointy black acrylics on display as well as the intricate _mehndi_ designs running up and down her fingers. She wears an assortment of once-silver rings that have long been covered by layers of paint. There’s a caption.

**Got my work cut out for me!**

He snaps back, **Where you at?**

Nisha drops him her location. 

**asdfghjk! Aren’t there people there?? Have fun getting arrested!**

**Not if I can help it. 😉**

**The woes of being an artist in Great Britain 😔😔🇬🇧✊🏽**

**BLOCKED AND REPORTED.**

**September 28th, 2020**

**9:12 AM**

Nisha sends Miguel a link to a tweet from Alex Claremont-Diaz’s account. There’s a picture. A mural. Nisha’s mural. Alex and Henry depicted as Han and Leia, arms around each other. A caption, _Never tell me the odds._ Miguel is _squealing._ Then another message, an article with multiple pictures embedded. One is of Miguel’s work from two nights ago. The picture is linked to an Instagram post. The comments make his heart swell, but he notices a pattern.

_Lindísimo!!! Dónde está la etiqueta??_

_ORGULLO BI 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈 Me pones una @?_

_¿Hay una etiqueta por algún lugar? Me encantaría apoyar a más artistas callejeras LGBT._

**11:04 AM**

Miguel had never tagged his art before. Never considered anybody would care to identify him, to find him twice.

_Shake. Twist. Spray. Drag._

_BIMI._

Once home, he renames his art account. Posts a new photo, this time sporting his mark. He captions it.

_Apoyando al hijo de Claremont, Alex Claremont-Diaz y al príncipe Henry en este momento. Que sus cartas sean un rayo de esperanza para la gente queer, los jóvenes y cualquiera que haya estado enamorado._

_#WaterlooLetters #FreeHenry #HistoryHuh_

At the last second, he tags both Alex and Henry’s verified accounts.

**September 29th, 2020**

**7:18 PM**

Miguel submits his paper and shuts his laptop down. Somehow, in the time he spent working, he’s received more Instagram DM’s than he’s ever had at one time in his life. He opens Nisha’s first, and he very well may not be breathing. 

Nisha’s far more well-known than he is. It was crazy exciting to see Alex’s tweet, but not necessarily mind-blowing. Her mural was… beyond words. And Alex might have even been in London at the time. Or maybe his prince sent it to him. But what Nisha sent Miguel.

It’s a story. Alex’s story. In the center, a post of a painting. _Miguel’s_ painting. A hasty mural on a wall in Mexico City of Alex’s face in blue, purple, and pink, a crown on his head. 

Off to the side, there’s text. 

_con mucho cariño para la patria💚❤️_

Miguel doesn’t think his heart has ever beat so hard in his life.

**October 2nd, 2020**

The live broadcast of Alex’s speech can be viewed internationally, if you know where to find it.

When it comes on, Miguel goes to video call Nisha. She beats him to it. By the end, there are tears streaming down both their faces.

**Author's Note:**

> I must admit, I don't know the first thing about street art (see my search history) or the Spanish language (see my chat history with Beth aka [cmere](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmere/pseuds/cmere)). Thank you so, so, so much, for all the translation, Beth, honey, my queen, oh my god this fic would be a mess without you.
> 
> I took a risk with the style and tone, but this just felt right, and we all gotta learn and grow, sweetheart! ;)
> 
> Just for reference: gandi aurat = nasty woman (in Urdu)
> 
> con mucho cariño para la patria = with love/affection for my homeland


End file.
